Virginia McCullough - Something To Treasure

If anyone can save him, she’s the one

Jerrod Walters hopes relocating to the coastal town of Two Moon Bay can be the fresh start he and his young daughter need. But the single dad is caught off guard when a beautiful PR professional offers to promote his diving excursions to legendary shipwreck sites. There’s so much he admires about Dawn Larson, starting with the woman’s upbeat, can-do personality. Dawn’s boundless capacity for joy might be the only thing capable of bringing him back to life after his tragic loss...

After a childhood spent on Chicago’s sandy beaches, VIRGINIA MCCULLOUGH moved to a rocky island in Maine, where she began writing magazine articles. She soon turned to coauthoring and ghostwriting nonfiction books, and eventually began listening to the fictional characters whispering in her ear. Today, when not writing stories, Virginia likes to wander the world.

To contact the author, please visit www.virginiamccullough.com, or find her on Twitter, @vemccullough, and Facebook, www.Facebook.com/virginia.mccullough.7.

Also By Virginia McCullough

Girl in the Spotlight

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Something to Treasure

Virginia McCullough

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08086-6

SOMETHING TO TREASURE

© 2018 Virginia McCullough

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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Version: 2020-03-02

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“I like you, Jerrod. I get the sense you like me.”

Dawn shook her head. “What I mean is, are we ever going to acknowledge this thing between us?”

His head jerked back. In an instant, the air around her changed. The sound of the waves lapping the shore grew louder.

“Say something, will you?” Was he going to leave her standing there feeling like a fool?

“I don’t know what to say, except that I’m sorry.” He took a couple of steps away from her. “You don’t want to like me in any way other than as a client and casual friend.”

In for a penny, in for a pound. In an instant that old saw had popped into her head. Why? Maybe because she was trembling and wasn’t thinking straight. But the adage fit. She’d taken a chance and might as well commit to it all the way. “Is that so? Well, then tell me, why is that?”

“Because the good things about you don’t make up for what’s missing in me.”

Dear Reader,

Welcome back to Two Moon Bay, Wisconsin, a small town on Lake Michigan. In Something to Treasure, the town is a place where both a newcomer and a longtime resident hope to find the changes and challenges they’ve been seeking. I’m delighted to offer a new look at the town so many readers were drawn to in my debut Harlequin Heartwarming book, Girl in the Spotlight.

Something to Treasure is about valuing the past and learning from the tragedies and losses it sometimes leaves us with. Two single parents, Jerrod and Dawn, meet when each is at a crossroads. Will they stay stuck in the past, or will they find the courage to take a chance on the future? Dawn and Jerrod’s story is about the fragility and strength of family bonds, the value of friendships and community, and a belief in possibilities.

Enjoy Something to Treasure, a story of hope, healing and second chances. I hope you’ll visit my website and sign up for my mailing list at www.virginiamccullough.com, or find me on Twitter, @vemccullough, and Facebook, www.Facebook.com/virginia.mccullough.7.

To Happy Endings,

Virginia McCullough

For my two grandsons, CJ and Kyle, adventurers in training.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Extract

Chapter One

CLUTCHING THE WOODEN plaque to her chest, Dawn Larsen laughed with joy at the sound of applause, along with the loud chant, “Speech, speech, speech.” Tingling with excitement, and almost reeling from a jolt of nervous energy, Dawn stepped up to the microphone to give her colleagues what they demanded.

“And to think I almost didn’t come to the conference this weekend.” She grinned at Barb, the conference chair and her good friend, who stood to the side of the podium. “But thanks to Barb, I’m here. She’s encouraged me every step of the way.”

Dawn held up the plaque and turned it so the audience could see the engraving: Outstanding Public Relations Campaign of the Year. “My clients, the owners of the party planning business, get some credit, too. Party Perfect is a great firm and a joy to promote. And this award is especially gratifying because my peers in public relations have honored me in this way.”

“Two firsts for you this weekend, Dawn,” Barb said, coming to stand next to her. “Your first conference presentation and your first award.”

Once again, the one hundred or so attendees broke into applause. Dawn took that as a signal to end her speech and called out, “Thanks again, everyone.” She gave the audience a quick wave and went to her seat at the panelists’ table, still in shock over receiving the award.